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Chicago Loop Synagogue Vandalized With Swastikas

CHICAGO — A hate crime investigation is underway after the front window of the Chicago Loop Synagogue was smashed by a vandal who affixed swastikas to its front entrance early Saturday.

Officers responded at 12:20 a.m. to a call of “criminal damage in progress” at the temple at 16 S. Clark St., according to Chicago Police.

A male got out of a dark-colored SUV, possibly a Toyota Highlander, and placed several swastika stickers on the front doors, police said. Then he took a metal object and smashed the front glass windows.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing dark clothing and a dark face mask, police said. Chicago Police have released surveillance video of the incident.

The American Jewish Committee, a national Jewish advocacy group, denounced the incident in a statement issued Saturday.

“The Chicago Jewish community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks on a house of worship,” AJC Chicago Director Amy Stoken said in the statement. “The right of all religious groups to practice their faith without fear is a fundamental American value. Chicagoans must speak together clearly that the hatred behind this destructive behavior will never be accepted.”

No one was in custody Saturday as Area Central detectives investigated the vandalism as a hate crime.